Episode One: World Council of Credit Unions' President and CEO Brian Branch

This is the first edition of The Global Credit Union Podcast – a new initiative of World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU). This new monthly podcast is the only one that will focus on the international credit union and financial cooperative movement. We started this podcast to provide the international credit union community with an in-depth look at some of the interesting and important stories we have to tell here at WOCCU, particularly in the areas of International Advocacy, International Projects, Education and Networking, and Digital Transformation. But we will also be telling your stories about the work credit unions across the world are doing on behalf of their members. We start by looking back on the tenure of our soon-to-be outgoing President and CEO Brian Branch. He will be retiring in July 2021, after more than 30 years with WOCCU – the last 10 as the leader of our organization. He talks about starting his work at WOCCU during the early 1990s when civil wars were raging in Central America and communism was ending in Eastern Europe - and ending it during a pandemic that is causing global upheaval. During those crises and all the ones in between, Branch explains how credit unions have been there for their members - and how World Council of Credit Unions has continued to find new ways to help them strengthen, innovate and grow.